TIPS FOR EXTENDING THE LIFE OF YOUR WINCH
1.
Keep a tightly wound wire rope drum
. Do not allow the wire rope to become loosely wound. A loosely-wound spool allows a wire rope
under load to work its way down into the layers of wire rope on the drum. When this happens, the wire rope may become wedged within the
body of the windings damaging the wire rope. To prevent this problem, keep the wire rope tightly and evenly wound on the drum at all times.
A good practice is to rewind the wire rope under a tension of approx. 500 kg after each use. For example, this can be achieved by attaching
the hook to a car and recovering with the winch using the car’s brakes to control the load.
2.
Do not allow motor to overheat
. Remember, the winch is for intermittent use only. During long or heavy pulls the motor will get hot. The
internal parts will be hotter than the case. To check the motor temperature, stop winching and carefully touch the motor case, if the motor is
uncomfortably warm, allow the motor to cool before continuing - keep the engine running to recharge the battery during this break.
3.
Use of a pulley black and shackle for heavy loads
. To maximise winch and wire rope life, use a pulley block and shackle to double line
heavier loads.
4. The pull required to start a load moving is often much greater than the pull required to keep it moving.
Avoid frequent stopping and starting
during a pull.
5.
Prevent kinks before they occur
.
(Fig. 9a)
This is the start of a kink. At this time, the wire rope should be straightened.
(Fig. 9b)
The wire rope was pulled and the loop has tightened to a kink. The wire rope is now permanently damaged and must be replaced.
(Fig. 9c)
The result of kinking is that each strand pulls a different amount causing the strands under greatest tension to break and reduce load
capacity of the wire rope. The wire rope must be replaced.
Fig. 9
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TIPS FOR EXTENDING THE LIFE OF YOUR WINCH
